My Everything
by N. C. Demetria
Summary: /NatsuMikan/ “You can’t return them.” “And why the hell not?” he snapped, his attention finally on her. “Because, it’s… Well because you didn’t just keep my heart.”


**DISCLAIMER:** Higuchi Tachibana owns Gakuen Alice

* * *

**MY EVERYTHING**

_See how each crane is colored different?_

--

Dedicated to my dearest, for being just _there_

(And because we made up, and he gave me a card)

* * *

When he first saw her, he didn't think much of her. To him, she was annoying, loud, and frankly, she was way too happy. He saw her nothing more than just an obnoxious new girl.

When she first saw him, lots of thoughts came to her angered head. In three words, she could quickly describe him as arrogant, a jerk and, to be honest, lonely.

She saw through her walls, and resolved to help him become more open.

And so, she decided to give him a paper crane. She gave it to him on her second day, without complete knowledge of him at all. Quite a daring move, but make a move she did. As soon as she got to Homeroom the next day, she approached his seat, took his book down and before he could utter something, she grabbed his hand and gently laid the hand-crafted crane.

It had been orange, her namesake.

"What is this?" he spat, yet he did not throw the folded paper away.

"Isn't it obvious? It's a paper crane, silly." she replied, a great smile on her face. Before hearing what else he had to say, she skipped off her to her seat. He stared blankly at the piece of paper in his hands. Most of their classmates had watched their conversation, but no one moved.

"Keep it. It might come important in the future." Yura was the first to approach him. After that, everyone went back to what they were doing.

As soon as the first bell rang, no one noticed him slip the folded paper into his bag.

She made no such move again after the first one, but she did interact with him every day. Though, her approach was quite strange. She would tell him something short and direct then he would either insult her or tell her to go away. When she was insulted, she would snap back at him and walk away. If she was told to leave him, she would smile and silently do as she was told.

And every day, he would cock and eyebrow at her as she turned around.

--

The second time he got a paper crane was about two months later.

She had come home from school, and saw her grandfather on the floor. His face was distorted with pain and his hands clutched the area over his heart. She reacted quickly and called an ambulance as she tried to help her grandfather. The racing van arrived minutes later, seemingly an eternity to her. She helped the personnel attach her grandfather to a gurney before clambering to the vehicle as well.

Her grandfather survived long enough to get admitted to the hospital, but when the medical procedures began, his body could not take anymore and it shut down. She was devastated with the news, and as soon as she was allowed to see her grandfather, she broke down. The doctors did not restrain nor stop her. Instead, they left her to her privacy.

Before they could close the door though, this sight had caught _his_ eyes. He had been in the hospital too, to look after his mother. Catching a glimpse of her crying madly, he did not know what force made him stand up and approach her once the doctors were out of sight.

Neither could he figure out why he had held her close and watched her slept through the night.

The next day, she was a wreck. Her eyes were lifeless and she looked pale. He did not wonder, of course, for he had helped her come to school, yet he worried for her, wondering if she was doing alright. He did not come to her, telling himself that he had done his part.

Once she told everyone who swarmed around her that she was okay, she had approached him. She did not take his book away, nor did she take his hands. Instead, she quietly laid a crane in his desk, muttering a word of thanks before a small smile graced her lips. She turned around, not waiting to hear him say something.

He looked at the paper. It had been gray.

He took it and just before the bell rang, he slipped it inside his bag. He placed it right next to the orange one.

--

He didn't expect to get a third boat so soon, just about a month later. Better yet, he did not expect to get a third boat, _period_.

She had gotten over her grandfather's death. It had not been easy, but she made it. And luckily enough, she had been out of the blank state she had been in just before the exams. But there was one teensy detail.

She did not recall two month's worth of lessons.

Sure Hotaru and Yu were willing to lend her a hand, but both of them were busy. Hotaru had a project to prepare for and Yu was regularly being sent errands here and there, as he was the class representative. Anna and Nonoko offered to tutor her, but she refused for the two were already tutoring Koko and Mochiage. Ruka was being kept occupied by Hotaru when she had asked him. She then strived on her own and from then, she would often be found sitting in the library, reading piles and piles of books.

On the night before the exams, she had still two weeks' worth of Geometry lessons to study, and sadly, it was a subject she did not get on quickly. The lesson she had was on the relationship of the angles and sides of a triangle. Looking at the figure they were given as an example, she could not get how the exterior angle's measurement was found.

"I'm giving up. I'm never going to finish this by tomorrow!" she cried in frustration. She gathered her things and dumped them into her bag, rather harshly. She then scooped up the books she had borrowed and walked towards the shelf where she had taken it from.

Oddly enough, he was in the library. He had also been checking out a book, one on History as he had not been in the last few lectures, having been absent due to his mother's condition. He had heard her shout and before he approached the librarian's desk any nearer, he turned around and searched between the shelves.

"Oi, polka dots." he said, coming towards her.

"What is it?" she replied, though it came out as a whisper. From tiredness, he guessed.

"What are you think you're doing, screaming in a library of all places?" he berated.

"I can't get the stupid Math equation right, and I think I'm going to fail Geometry tomorrow." she grumbled. Without a sound, he then took the book she had in her hands. As she was about to protest, he grabbed her arm and led her to a desk not far away.

"Wha- Natsume, let me go." she complained, trying to pull her arm away.

She received no response other than a Math question. Her eyes grew wide, as she caught on when he asked her again. He was going to (probably) help her. Her eyes softened as she answered the question, which was correct, to her surprise.

The next morning, she looked at her Geometry paper and grinned as she wrote down her answers confidently, though it took quite a while to realize what of the formula did she miss in some items. An hour after the exams started, the bell rang, signaling that everyone should turn over their papers. She handed it to Jinno, her grin never faltering, before merrily walking out the room, as it was their break.

At this time, he was sitting beneath the cherry blossoms tree outside, his nose buried in book, per usual.

She approached him, thanking him profusely for the effort he exerted last night, before bowing and handing him a purple-colored crane. As soon as he had it in his hands, she waved goodbye and thanked him one last time before running off to Anna and Nonoko. He stared at the boat blankly, before resuming his reading.

At the end of break, he sat on his desk and slid the paper between the other two, just in time before their next teacher came.

--

A week after the exams was when the academy had given the students a break. The academy had planned a day trip to Central Town, where a fair was held. Everyone was in high spirits. It was a day in Central, after all.

She was ecstatic and bouncy. He hid his joy under a mask of boredom. She saw through his façade, and he found it amusing to watch her gawk at everything in sight. It was a good day in Central.

At the end of the day, she was tired and hungry, but she was happy. He was content having seen her smile never leave her face. Seated at the middle, she had been very noisy, complaining to Hotaru how they should've gotten something to eat before boarding the bus.

Youichi tugged at his sleeve, and pointed to a stand of Howalons outside. He looked at Youichi, giving him a questioning look, but he got up and walked to the front. After asking for permission, he got off and quickly bought two boxes. He, Ruka and Youichi made it back to the bus just before Narumi had started the roll call. As Ruka sat down, he handed him a box and Youichi before walking farther from the front. Curiously, the two peered from their seats and saw him approach her.

"Give it a rest, polka." he said, handing her a box of Howalons. She looked at him, before taking the box graciously and beaming at him.

It was then that she decided Howalons were her favorite treat. And that he was her favorite person.

It was also on the following day when he received his fourth paper crane. The pink-colored paper was securely tucked between the first three.

--

Two months passed, and her daily routines had not stopped. Two months had passed, and he still had the cranes kept safely in his bag. No one knew why she had done it. No one knew that he had kept them. In total, six months had passed since the beginning of the school year. And after six months of togetherness, a new student was introduced to the class.

"My name is Luna Koizumi. A pleasure to meet you." the transfer student said, bowing down. Of course, everyone clamored around the new girl, much like they had done when she had arrived on their first day.

A few days after her arrival, the sports festival was held. To her dismay, Luna was constantly seen with him. And as far as communication with Luna goes, she got a terrible end of her and was bullied into silence.

It hurt, terribly and painfully. And the fact that rumors about the three of them spread like wildfire definitely _did not_ help.

She never knew loving someone would be _this_ hurtful.

But she was willing to go with it all. It was either her or her friends at stake. She convinced herself that she could stand the pain, the pain of watching him with her plus the pain Luna made her go through just to test her limits. She became quite lifeless after the sports festival. Everyone got worried, but when they would ask her, she would nonchalantly reply that she was just tired.

"Tired from what, Mikan?" Yu asked her one day, exhausted of seeing her in such a state.

"From everything." she muttered, but she would never say it aloud.

A full month after Luna's arrival, she resolved to snap out of it, so as the new month arrived, his fifth crane did as well. It surprised him to see it was not brightly colored. It had been a deep black. She gave it to him, a sad-looking smile on her face. She did not meet his eyes, nor did she even look up.

"What's wrong, Mikan?" he had asked. She shook her head and walked away. Before she could reach her seat, Luna had whispered something and caused her to stiffen. It was only a moment, but he saw it. He became irritated and just as Luna was about to approach him, he quickly slid in the crane inside his bag.

"Good morning, Natsume." Luna greeted him as she was sitting down.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on Mikan." He muttered darkly, loud enough for her to hear.

--

On his birthday, she had decided to give him a blue crane.

By this time, he and Luna were more frequently seen arguing. Being a good friend she was, she had long given up thinking that she and him were meant to be (And the tiny spark of hope that kept her going was buried beneath) and instead wished the two of them the best.

This only pleased Luna to no end. This only aggravated him to no end.

The moment she handed him the sixth crane, he grabbed her wrist and tightly held onto it.

"Why, Mikan? Tell me why." he said, deeply and coldly.

"Did you keep them?" she asked, her voice cracking. She had long assumed he had not kept them, but there was always something that kept her hoping he did.

"No." he answered, not a trace of hesitation. And just with that, she broke.

"Then why I do it doesn't mean anything." she replied, gritting her teeth. She took her wrist back and ran away, and he had not stopped her. He had not missed the tear that rolled down her cheeks either.

He stared in amazement at her retreating back, involuntarily looking at his school bag.

--

Once December had come, he had been chosen to do a mission. It would take a while, Persona had told him, because it wasn't as simple as the missions he used to go to. On the night before his mission, he sat beneath the cherry blossoms. He wondered vaguely if the cranes did mean something. He tried looking at it, searching for marks, for _anything_. But all he came up with was nothing.

"You know, there was a reason why Mikan gave you all those cranes." Ruka said, interrupting his train of thought.

"And how would you know that." he replied rhetorically.

"She told me why, you know. It was right after the first crane." Ruka answered.

He gave him a look. Ruka opened his mouth to say something, but closed it seconds after.

"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Ruka said instead.

"Yes."

"It's a week before Christmas. Think you can make it back?"

"I'll try."

And with that, Ruka smiled and left.

"Oi Ruka!" he called after him.

Ruka turned around to face him, "Yes?"

"So the cranes _do_ have a meaning behind them?" Ruka's smile grew wider and nodded before turning his heel again.

"_You have her heart."_

--

Christmas had come, as well as him. He had made it back just in time. She had heard about his departure, of course, and she had worried for him. She was well aware that he had left without notice, only Ruka had been notified of his departure (she found out through Ruka, when he had accidentally let it out), so that meant her and Ruka were his only companions for the day.

He was in the hospital, you see.

Ruka had spent the morning with him, for she had helped everyone prepare for the celebration for tonight. She had come in after 6, telling Ruka it was her turn to spend time with him. Ruka had wished to stay, for he didn't want her to miss the party either, but he complied once she had assured him.

(Ruka later on regrets agreeing, for Hotaru had made a profit out of him yet again)

He was sleeping when she had arrived, so she had taken this opportunity to fold the last of her paper cranes. After all, it wouldn't hurt to give him a last one, right? She would move again next year anyway, moving back to Kyoto. Even if he throws it away, it would be best she finish what she started.

The following morning, he woke up to find her sleeping beside him, a yellow crane sticking out her hand. She stirred after he had moved and woke up afterwards.

"Good morning, Natsume." she greeted him. She handed him the crane, and proceeded to slice apples. He started at her, wondering why she gave him another crane, when he had told (lied) to her that he threw them away.

Just as he was about to ask, Ruka had to come in. He quickly stuffed the crane inside his pocket.

--

It was the last day of school, so the academy decided to treat the students to one last trip to Central before two months of summer vacation would come.

He finally decided it was time he returned the cranes. He had not only made her cry, he had hurt her too. He had to _let her go_. It pained him to see her in such a way. He decided that if she saw he had kept all of the cranes, she would continue being happy. It would be the best way to see her _happy_ for _one last time_.

When she had been told by Ruka that he wanted to see her, she was surprised. She did not know he had come to the trip to Central, for he had just gotten out of the hospital. When she had asked Ruka on why, Ruka merely shrugged and was on his way.

She went beneath the cherry blossoms, just as Ruka had told her where he'd be. He was sitting on the branch again, a book covering his face.

"Hey Natsume, are you awake?" she asked, an eyebrow arched questioningly.

He did not respond and instead, he jumped down. He took her hands and placed all seven cranes onto her palms.

"Here. I can't keep your heart." he said bitterly, his hands returning to their usual places. Her eyes grew wide.

And it wasn't because she saw he had kept them.

"H-How, but –who, how did you find out?" she blurted out. Then she shook her head. Ruka must've told him, for aside from Hotaru, it was Ruka who knew about what the cranes were for.

He stood there in silence, letting her process what just happened. He waited for her to say something again, but when he saw her eyes finally pour out tears, he turned around and walked away.

"Wait!" she had called out. He did not look back, but he stopped.

"What?" he said, his eyes downcast.

"You can't return them."

"And why the hell not?" he snapped, his attention finally on her.

"Because, it's… Well because you didn't just keep my heart."

Then she took his hand and opened it. Slowly she started giving back the cranes.

_Orange_

"You had my friendship."

_Gray_

"You had my sadness."

_Purple_

"You had my admiration."

_Pink_

"You had my love."

_Black_

"You had my heartache."

_Blue_

"You even have my hopes and wishes."

_Yellow_

"And lastly, you've had my happiness." she told him, closing his hand on the cranes.

"Mi… kan." he whispered as her hands wrapped around his fist.

"You haven't only been keeping my heart. You've everything. _My_ everything. So, you can't just give it back. I trusted you with my being, and I trust you won't forget me when you've kept my whole." she explained. She had already been crying, but they were joyful tears as a smile graced her lips. She gingerly held his hand, giving it a light squeeze before letting go.

"I didn't ask for it, you know." he said, as she turned her back on him.

"I know." she replied.

"Then why?" he asked.

"I don't know either." she answered, a grin replacing the smile, "But, I do know that I trust you, so I guess that's reason enough." she continued, winking at him.

And with that, he came to her and held her tight.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** I assume that April's when the school year starts in Japan (as I've read from sources) so, yeah. And I think I made Mikan too… OOC, I guess, but the concept of the fic was based on a Naruto fic, so I got character personalities mixed up. That and I haven't been in the GA section for almost a year, so I've missed quite a lot. Also, this fic is a birthday present I give to myself, as it has been a long time since I last published one.

Reviews are appreciated, thank you!

_~N. C. Demetria_


End file.
